Tips for Making Successful Small Talk with Strangers

1. Mention something about your immediate physical environment. If you can't think of what to say you can mention something about the weather, the quality of the food, or the lighting in the room. It does not matter so much what you say, it is the initial act of making contact that counts. Once initial contact is made all future conversation will flow more easily.

2. You don't have to say something when you are immediately in their presence. The impetus to talk builds up during awkward silence and people will feel compelled to talk to each other eventually.

3. Talk about a event that does not include religion or politics. If the person is wearing any type of sports attire you can comment on a recent sporting event that you think they might be interested in. If the person is wearing a business suit you can talk about business related matters. Of course you can't judge a book by its cover but people generally dress according to factors including their cultural background, level of education, socioeconomic status and so forth.

4. When you have exhausted a particular topic you can move on to another related topic. For example if you were talking about the price of gas you can move to a conversation about who designs quality automobiles.

5. Focus completely on the other person. We tend to become anxious when we focus too much on ourselves. Furthermore, when we have all our attention on the other person we are more likely to spot their verbal/nonverbal cues.

6. Ask an open ended question. This way the person cannot respond with a simple yes or no. For instance instead of asking "do you like it here" you can say "what do you like best about this place".

7. Accept rejection as a possibility. Even the most famous, successful, and beautiful people get rejected from time to time. The reasons why people reject others are as varied as the people themselves. Therefore, expect success but accept success and rejection as possible outcomes to your approach.

8. Become an active listener. This means showing genuine interest in the other person by saying things such as "I see", "that's interesting" or "tell me more". People love to talk about themselves and their interests when they are encouraged to.

9. You can invite them to participate in something you are doing or ask for their help with a particular activity. Naturally some communication will result from the exchange. Likewise, if you see that someone needs help or seems open to your participation, you can become involved as well if the other person is open to it.